Erol Alkan (GB)

Erol’s eternal mission to create and sustain the excitement only great records can provide means scouring shops and submerging himself into the tidal wave of music he gets sent, in the hope – usually realized – that he’ll dig out an amazing tune no-one else knows about. These days blog culture saturates listeners in the latest hype, and everyone makes iPod playlists, but we still need people like Erol: gatekeepers with exquisite taste, who will bring amazing records to our attention, and put them in the thrilling context only a great DJ can provide. “These days there’s almost a DJ in every person,” says Erol. “David Bowie’s line ‘I am a DJ, I am what I play’ was so prophetic. You’ve got two hours, what can you do with it?” Yet few people know how to fill two, or five, or nine hours more gloriously than Erol – DJ, artist, impresario, fan. Long may he keep kids – of all ages – dancing.